A Gift of Forever
by CarmenImbrium
Summary: A modern AU, written for 12 Days of Kristanna in 2014.


Sometimes, knowing someone like the back of your hand makes it a hell of a lot harder to shop for them.

You know what they already have, which narrows your choices down. You know the details of what they do and don't like, so you over-analyse every possible gift. And then there's the desire to out-do yourself and get an even better present than the one you gave them last year, but there's only so much room for improvement before you bank account gets in the way.

There was only a week until Christmas, and Kristoff still didn't have a gift for Anna. Well, he knew what he wanted to give her (he'd known for a long time, actually), but he wasn't sure Christmas would be the right time. The ring had been sitting in his drawer for months, waiting for the perfect moment that had yet to present itself. On one hand, Kristoff knew that the holiday season was Anna's favourite time of year, but on the other hand, he'd always thought of getting engaged on Christmas as being way too cliche for him. And there was the matter of next year's gift. If he proposed this year, what would he get her next year? How could he possibly go up from there?

But he also knew this year's gift had to be better than last year's. The Christmas before, he'd given her the spare key to his apartment so that she could visit whenever she wanted (she'd ended up moving in halfway through January). There wasn't a whole lot other than a diamond ring that he could think of that would be better than that. He'd briefly considered a puppy, until he remembered his landlord was a very strict enforcer of the "one pet" rule. So he decided to consult with the only other person who knew Anna as well as he did.

"Seriously, Kristoff? You haven't thought of anything yet?" Kristoff could practically feel Elsa sighing through the phone.

"It's not that I haven't thought of anything, it's that I haven't thought of anything good enough."

"You know she'll be happy with anything you get her. It might not seem like it, but she cares more about the fact that you think she's worth buying things for."

"But I want to give her something better than last year," he let his face drop into his hand. This conversation was not helping as much as he thought it would.

Elsa sighed again. "Well, what were you thinking of for this year?"

"Well… I've wanted to ask her to marry me for a while now—"

"Do that," Elsa cut him off. She already knew what Anna's present for Kristoff was, and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to make sure his present for her was just as special. "It'll be perfect. She always tells me that winter is the most romantic time of year."

"Are you sure? I've kind of been second-guessing the ring I picked…"

"Yes! You have my blessing! She'll love it, no matter what it looks like. Talk to you later!"

Kristoff took a deep breath as he hung up the phone. He walked into the bedroom, opened the drawer, and took a good look at the tiny box in the corner. _So I guess this is happening…_

* * *

Anna had a tradition of opening presents on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day, partly because she couldn't take the anticipation and partly because she liked to sleep in as much as possible. So the evening of December 24th found her and Kristoff curled up in a quilt fort on the floor, the couch against their backs and mugs of peppermint cocoa in their hands. The room was illuminated only by the lights on their tiny tree and the television ("It's not Christmas without Charlie Brown, Kristoff!"). As usual, Anna fell asleep halfway through, snoring lightly into his chest and somehow still balancing her cocoa on her knee. As he looked down at her, his anxiety about his gift started to fade. It didn't take a lot to make her happy, and he was pretty sure that the ring would be enough to do so.

The credits started to roll, and Kristoff gingerly plucked the mug out of her hands and set on the floor beside her before nudging her awake. "Hey, sleepy-head. Time to open presents."

Anna slowly blinked awake, rubbing her eyes and yawning before she fully processed what Kristoff had said. "Huh? Time for…" She cut herself off with a gasp and threw her arms in the air, narrowly avoiding clocking him in the jaw. " _PRESENTS!_ "

Kristoff just laughed and handed her the first package. Aside from the big gift, they always gave each other an assortment of small presents. He'd gotten her a cocoa mix sampler, some small novels, and a new pair of slippers. In return, she'd gotten him a new watch band, a hat, and a gift card for the local sporting goods store. Then they let Sven tear open his presents - a big bag of treats and a new leash (since he'd somehow managed to chew through the old one).

When Anna reached for the last box with his name on it, he grabbed her hand. "I opened the first last one last year, so this year it's your turn," he handed her something small and square, wrapped in glittery green paper.

He watched her face carefully as she tore apart the paper and lifted the top of the box. When she saw the ring and the tiny note reading will you marry me?, it became obvious that she hadn't expected that. She screamed and launched herself forward, locking her arms around his neck and laughing. He returned her embrace and kissed the top of her head as she whispered yes over and over into his shoulder. After a few minutes, she pulled away slightly to place a kiss on his lips and to let him slide the ring onto her finger. Tears still sparkling in her eyes, she leaned over and took the last present out from under the tree. "Now it's time for yours," she whispered, still a hint of laughter in her voice.

Kristoff found himself just as unprepared for Anna's gift as she had been for his, because he nearly passed out when he pulled a mug out of the box and read the text on it - " _World's Best Dad_ ".


End file.
